FLVS Counselors

We were once approaching April and now we’re rapidly advancing toward May!

Not only are there lots of activities, schoolwork, and projects going on, but incredible volunteer efforts as well. FLVS would like to take a moment to thank all the FLVS Full Time 6-12 grade students and families who participated in our FLVS Earth/Environmental Day across the state. View photos here!

Want to join in other upcoming activities? We have several to choose from! Continue reading

There’s so much blossoming at FLVS as we spring forward and March toward April! (Good puns are all in good fun, right?) Here are some current activities in bloom we’d like to highlight. Continue reading

We all deal with the grueling task of being tested, whether we are in grade school, in college, on the job site – or dealing with everyday situations (parenting, teaching, etc.).

It seems we face some sort of test in our life every day, whether a paper/pencil exam or making the right moral choices. As a school counselor, I am tasked with assisting students and parents with making the right choices to successfully work their way through school – academically, socially, and emotionally.

Today I want to focus on the academic realm and the tests and exams that all students must go through. I’ll share tools to help them be successful when faced with these assessments.

Some of the points I will share can cross into other facets of tests that we all go through in our personal and professional lives as well.

Be sure to save this handy acrostic blog post full of tips for your next big exam!

We are celebrating the 2016-17 school year with a blog series featuring FLVS faculty and staff. Meet the creative and dedicated individuals who make every day a great day at FLVS!

“What courses do I need to meet the state graduation requirement for online learning?”

“I want to earn a technical certificate in computer programming, so what courses should I take?”

“How do I enroll in a course with prerequisites?”

Ever had a school-related question that you couldn’t quite find the answer to? Who should you reach out to ask all these questions?

The FLVS School Counseling team – that’s who!

Kristie Knight has more than 10 years of school counseling experience that serves her well in the fast-paced environment at FLVS. Her phone never stops ringing – which is a good thing! Continue reading

It’s never too early to start thinking about how to pay for college.

Paying for college is a costly endeavor. Figuring out how to pay for college can be confusing and difficult. While student loans must be paid back, scholarship money can pay for tuition and fees directly and does not have to be paid back. A scholarship reduces the amount of loans and out-of-pocket expenses you must pay. Therefore, scholarships are the best answer for many students.

The good news is that scholarships are easier than ever to find and apply for thanks to online tools that can connect students to billions of dollars’ worth of funds. There are scholarships out there for everyone! You can find scholarships for being left handed, good at soccer, art, or just for being tall! Continue reading

At one point, bullying was simply considered a rite of passage in childhood.

Today, research shows that bullying has a significant impact on one’s education, health, and safety.

Bullying can negatively impact a child’s education. It is estimated that 160,000 children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. Research shows 15 percent of all school absenteeism is directly related to fears of being bullied at school.

One out of every 10 students who drops out of school does so because of repeated bullying. Continue reading

The International Association for Suicide Prevention (IASP) estimates that there are about 800,000 suicides worldwide each year.

That number is probably higher considering that shame and harsh judgment can often accompany news of a suicide, making it easier for family and loved ones to shroud a suicide in other ways. This devastating statistic makes one thing very clear – we need to start talking about it in order to stop it.

September 7-13 marks National Suicide Prevention Week and it is the week surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day on September 10. You may be wondering what you can do. Continue reading

Text, Twitter, YouTube, Snapchat…these are but a few of the new and most common ways for today’s generation to communicate. Gone are the days of face-to-face time. Gone are the days of just sitting on the porch and shooting the breeze for hours. Gone are the days of chatting on the phone until late at night and mom coming in and saying “Hey, it’s time to hang up and go to bed.”

Today’s teens spend their hours not speaking with each other, but texting, posting videos, and of course, taking selfies. In May 2014, the term “selfie” joined the Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary. (“Selfie: An image of oneself taken by oneself using a digital camera especially for posting on social networks.”) It is now a permanent part of the American vocabulary. Today, kids don’t see the need for words, when a selfie can express what life is all about. Continue reading

Stop and think about your life’s journey so far.

Some of us are just getting started on school, many are at the beginning of our careers, and others are nearing retirement. The reality for all of us is that every choice we make and action we take has gotten each of us to where we are today. You, and you alone, are responsible for your happiness or unhappiness, success or failure.

Fate and luck are of no consequence. Accepting personal responsibility is the first step to success. It is the only requirement needed to achieve goals. If you say things like, “it’s not my fault” or “life is unfair,” then you have not yet accepted responsibility for your actions.